28
Ness
While it would have beennice to buy a house that would serve as the pack’s new hub, neither Ryder nor I could afford it at the moment. I’d lived every day like it might be my last. Ryder had spent a year on the road which had kept him from being able to work.
That meant we were rental hunting. Ryder pulled up outside a small ranch style home on the border of Lakesedge. The hedges needed to be trimmed and the front door might have been yellow at some point, but the elements had given it a grimy cast.
Ryder grimaced.
I lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “It just needs some attention.”
The idea of doing boring home and lawn maintenance enticed me more than I wanted to admit. Compared to the last few weeks, lawncare seemed like a nice change of pace. I took Ryder’s hand, intertwining my fingers with his, so I could feel the flicker of our reignited mate bond, and tugged him towards the front door where we would meet with our new landlord.
This property had been listed as rent-to-own. The location was perfect, with plenty of sprawling woodlands and fields beyond the property that hadn’t been taken over by new housing. This could be a good hub for the pack once it belonged to us.
I only hoped that the inside wasn’t as unloved as the outside. We would find out when we met with the landlord, who was waiting inside for us.
The car outside looked familiar. I tried to place where I’d seen it before as we approached the front door. I was so distracted by the car that I didn’t catch the scent on the air—or the lack thereof.
The front door swung open on its own. A familiar voice, like smoke and whiskey, called out to us from deeper within the house. The voice beckoned us into the kitchen.
I shouldn’t have been surprised to see the witch leaning over the kitchen island, her chin in her hand as she grinned up at us. Her hair had been pulled into several bantu knots. She wore a swipe of lime green eyeliner that was so sharp I could have cut myself on it. A small blue metal beetle hung from each ear.
She straightened and held out her hand in greeting. Both Ryder and I looked down at the extended offer with hesitation.
The witch rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to turn over a new leaf here. Give me a break.”
“How am I supposed to sleep in any home that you’ve gotten your hands on?” Ryder’s voice rumbled with a low growl.
“I feel like I’m going to go into the crawlspace under the house and find a stack of cursed bones.” My lip curled at the thought of going into the crawlspace.
The witch held up both hands, palms out. “I took the money that your shit Alpha paid me and invested it into this property. I’ve owned it all of two days. If you want to scour it for sigils and curses, be my guest.”
I peeled away to do exactly that. The witch heaved a sigh, but I ignored her and continued on my way. Room by room, I scoured every inch of the house. Though I was looking for proof of witchcraft, I also got acquainted with the place. I opened the cabinets and peered into every closet. There wasn’t a basement, but I did shine my phone flashlight into the crawl space.
An hour later, I returned. Ryder and the witch were posted up on either side of the kitchen island. The air smelled of coffee, the scent emanating from the little single-serve coffee maker standing alone on the counter.
Ryder lifted the mug in front of him and pushed it into my hands. The warmth filled my tired bones. I hadn’t found anything that might have been witchcraft. There wasn’t even a scratch in the lintels.
“So?” Ryder asked. “What do you think?”
I huffed. “I think we’re going to need a lot of furniture to fill this place.”
A smile cracked the corner of his grim-set lips. He reached to wind an arm around my lower back and pull me in.
The witch gagged mockingly. She gave a tight, unamused smile before adding, “My name is Bianca. Names have power, so you should understand that I’m giving this to you in a show of good faith.”
“What do you stand to gain in all this?” I narrowed my eyes at her.
This time, her grin widened naturally. “Hopefully I can earn the trust of the next Lakesedge Alpha, so I can get his tasty money, too. Every pack could use a witch with dubious morals to help them hide their mistakes.”
I stiffened. “We won’t have any mistakes. Not like Alvin did.”
Bianca waved me off. “I doubt you will cause any trouble. If anything, I expect trouble will come your way.”
I hoped that she was wrong. I was ready for some peace and quiet.
We signed the lease agreement, and the witch even offered to toss in some protection wards for us. At first, I was hesitant to accept her offer. Ryder picked up on my reluctance, but he urged me to make an exception this time.